


Voices of His Better Angels

by nubianamy



Series: (What It Looks Like and) What It Is [3]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode: s01e05 The Crackpots and These Women, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:01:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27846498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nubianamy/pseuds/nubianamy
Summary: While the rest of the senior staffers eat chili, the President attempts to fix Leo's marriage.
Relationships: Jed Bartlet/Leo McGarry
Series: (What It Looks Like and) What It Is [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021147
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	Voices of His Better Angels

_After you’re gone and the poets write The Legend of Josiah Bartlet, let them write you as a tragic figure. Let the poets write, “He had the tools to be a leader of men, but the voices of his better angels were shouted down by his obsessive need to win.”- Toby in 1x05 The Crackpots and These Women_

* * *

Jed paused in the doorway to the red room, glancing around. “Now, I know there were two people here a moment ago. I didn’t think anybody could slip past security at the residence.”

“I told Jenny she could go home,” Leo said. He slid his hands into his pockets. “I know you invited her tonight to talk to me, but we've said all we have to say to one another.”

“That’s funny, because when I spoke with her this afternoon, she had a hell of a lot of things to say to me, and it took her far more than fifteen minutes to say them.”

Leo raised his chin. “We’ve had thirty-four years to say them. If they haven’t been said yet, do you really think fifteen minutes in the red room is enough?”

“It is if it’s your commander-in-chief telling you,” Jed snapped.

He didn’t flinch. “You can’t bring in Rodney Grant to help me win at the last minute here, Mr. President. The ball game’s already over.”

“That’s not good enough.”

“No, Josh told me all about your run-in with Toby on the court. What did he call it? _Your obsessive need to win.”_ Leo shook his head. “Sometimes you just can’t.”

Jed gave him a sour look. “Winning isn’t always the objective.”

“Whatever it is you want, that’s winning. Come on, you can’t deny it. You strong-armed us all over here tonight for chili.”

“That’s just because I love you all so very much.”

Leo smiled. “I’m pretty sure that’s not the way Jenny sees it.”

“Well, you’re wrong.” Jed took a step toward Leo, but when he backed an equal step away, Jed remained where he was. “She told me, five minutes ago, on her way out the door, that you can take a taxi home tonight. You can call her yourself if you don’t believe me.”

“Mr. President,” Leo sighed. “Permission to speak freely?”

“All right, but you should know I yelled at Toby three times today already.”

“Yes, and this is exactly what Toby was yelling at you about. Not—this, but…” He encompassed the whole country with his gesture. “You can’t please everyone.You just can’t. If you try, you shirk your responsibility for leadership.”

“And who exactly am I supposed to stop pleasing?” Jed immediately added, “You are forbidden to answer that ill-formed question.”

Leo’s smile was thin. “You aren’t going to give Jenny what she wants, no matter how much you like her.”

“It’s not my job to do that. It’s yours. You are her husband. That job isn’t always going to be fun, but it’s always worth doing.” The more certain Jed’s tone became, the more he was struggling not to close the distance between them.

“Fine,” Leo sighed. “You want me to go back home after this? I will. Have your man call me a taxi. I won’t give up tonight. All right? You have a whole party out there.”

Jed watched him with a furrowed brow. “I want _you_ out there, too.”

“I will be. Just… give me a minute.”

He still looked skeptical, but Jed withdrew, leaving Leo alone. It made him feel worse, but without a bottle of Scotch, that was about all he was going to get.


End file.
